Mayor Charlie Hales Puts Police Chief Larry O'Dea on Administrative Leave

Move comes after increasing contradictions about April 21 hunting accident.

By Nigel Jaquiss

Eight days after the Oregon State Police opened a criminal investigation into an April 21 hunting accident in Harney County in which Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea accidentally shot a friend, Mayor Charlie Hales has placed O'Dea on administrative leave.

The move comes less than 24 hours after Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said O'Dea's initial account of the shooting was untruthful.

O'Dea initially told a Harney County deputy the victim shot himself, Ward said yesterday.

But on April 25, O'Dea told Hales he had actually shot the man, as WW first reported.

That contradiction apparently prompted Ward to step forward yesterday, in a rare instance of law enforcement official breaking silence about the details of a pending criminal investigation.

Assistant Chief Donna Henderson will serve as acting chief while O'Dea is out.

Here's Hales' statement:

Just after Hales released his statement, Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner issued his own statement. The union president says that O'Dea should be held to the same standard as his subordinates.

The Portland Police Commanding Officers Association released a statement this afternoon as well:

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